Jason Bradley (Jih-pong) Ling

Colonel Jason Bradley (Jih-pong) Ling, 92, died at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital on June 9, 2018. A resident of West Tisbury since 2003, he was born in Chingtien, Zhejiang Province, China, on Dec. 16, 1925, the ninth of 10 children of Ling Kun Ngoh and Chang Teh Xiang.

A colonel in the Chinese Nationalist Army under Chiang Kai-shek, Ling Jih-pong fought against the Japanese in World War II, but escaped mainland China for Taiwan in 1949. Here he earned a degree in public finance from Taiwan Provincial Ching Hsing University in 1957. Although Jason had no children of his own, he helped raise several of his nieces and nephews, including David Lin, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China.

In 1968 he was able to immigrate to the U.S. to join his oldest brother, Frank, and his sister-in-law, Annette Ling, in Lynbrook, N.Y. Jason became a naturalized American citizen and moved to Danbury, Conn., where he worked for PIC Design until his retirement. In 1995, Jason, Frank, and Annette Ling all moved to Middlesex School in Concord, to live with Jason’s niece and husband, Deirdre Ling and Edward Russell. A devoted brother and brother-in-law, Jason cared for Frank and Annette until each died, Frank in 2002 at Middlesex and Annette in 2003, after Annette, Jason, Deirdre, and Edward had moved to West Tisbury, when Deirdre Ling stepped down as head of school at Middlesex.

Jason was a bright spirit, selfless, upbeat, and gregarious. In his boyhood home, where each of the 10 children played a musical instrument, and the family had jam sessions on Sundays, Jason played the violin. His love of music continued his entire life, whether classical stringed, Chinese opera, or country-western. As a boy, he learned to swim in the lake behind his ancestral home, also playing tennis and basketball. At Middlesex he became a popular member of the community, where after his morning tai chi, he and Frank would go for a walk and greet students, faculty, and staff. In 2002 he joined a group of students on a trip back to China, where he was able to reconnect with his half-sister. Until he lost his eyesight due to glaucoma, he loved reading his Chinese newspapers and writing in his journal each weekend.

The family would like to thank the West Tisbury emergency team, Dr. Ellen McMahon, Jason’s longtime primary-care physician, and Dr. Vieira, the attending emergency room physician at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, for their solicitous care and compassion.

Colonel Ling is survived by his sister, Dr. Pan of Hangzhou, China; his nephew, Dr. Pan Xiao Feng and his wife, Dr. Pan Guinu of Vancouver, B.C.; his niece and her husband, Deirdre Ling and Edward Russell of West Tisbury; his nephew, Dr. Paul Kimberley Ling and his wife, Dr. Thessaly DePiero of Sharon; his grand-niece, Alexandra Ling of Morganton, N.C.; his nephew, David Lin, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China; and his nephew, Ling Yu-ping of Oklahoma City, Okla.

A memorial service will take place at a later date this summer. In lieu of flowers, any donations in Jason’s name may be made to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.